We traveled from the International Zone (IZ) to Camp Victory near Baghdad International Airport (BIAP). It took us 2 days to get a flight so we had some time to kill…and there’s lots of stuff to check out on Camp Victory. The first afternoon we toured the Al-Faw Palace which is part of Camp Victory and the Abu Ghraib presidential site. Some government sites also list it as part of the Radwaniyah Presidential compound, and it is also know as the “Water Palace”. It includes a command bunker, sleeping quarters, and a large underground military and intelligence center. Site construction was ongoing during the 1990s and features extensive and complex water works. Saddam reportedly built it following the Gulf War to honor the soldiers who freed the Iraqi peninsula of Al-Faw from Iranian control. Saddam reportedly brought guests here to watch or hunt the wildlife and relax by the lakes.
The next day we visited the Camp Slayer. This camp is adjacent to Camp Victory and also has a series of man-made lakes with numerous buildings. The centerpiece was a huge, unfinished palace with several cranes abandoned in place. Also along the lake was the “Perfume Palace”. It includes an indoor pool, 2-story high military murals, a blue-domed ballroom, and gold-leaf wallpaper. It reportedly earned its name because it was a brothel for Uday and Qusay Hussein, causing it to always smell of the concubines’ perfume. Finally we visited massive playhouse for Saddam’s grandchildren. The building was designed to look like a “Flintstone” house straight out of Bedrock…or in this case, I-rock! (I should be getting paid to develop these great jokes over here!)Once we finally caught a flight into Doha, Qatar, we were bussed over to Camp As Sayliyah, home of Central Command’s Rest and Recuperation (R&R) Program. The camp was a well organized grid of large warehouses that contained everything from living quarters, work spaces, the chow hall, a movie theater, gyms, the chapel, and two bars. The base also included an outdoor swimming pool, a Chili’s, and a PX. There was also a long list of tours to sign up for and get a chance to get off base.
We took a Cultural Tour on our second day and had a blast. We visited a camel market, a fruit and vegetable market, the gold suk (market), and the old market. In between we had lunch at a Qatari restaurant and then moved to another room for afternoon coffee, tea, hookah smoking, and some post-meal relaxation. In the afternoon we drove through the growing downtown area. You wouldn’t believe how many skyscrapers, office buildings, and luxury hotels are being built along the waterfront. We also visited City Center Mall, which had every high-end, western shop you can imagine, and did some ice-skating on their indoor rink. We ended the day with a drive to an impressive athletic stadium that hosted a recent Asian Olympics and another mall, decorated in Venetian-style to include an indoor canal and gondola.On the third day we went on a Doah Cruise for a top deck barbeque and some swimming in the Persian Gulf. The water was surprisingly blue and clear, and the warm water was really great to swim in. All the servicemen were jumping and diving off the bow of the boat and it wasn’t long before we were tossing half-filled, water bottles and seeing who could make the most spectacular catches. After a fantastic barbeque lunch of kabobs, vegetables, hummus, and pudding, we were all sufficiently incapacitated, and we spent the rest of the afternoon working on our sun burns!
The final two days we stayed on base and just enjoyed our time off and all the activities and amenities Camp As Sayliyah had to offer. Of course one of the biggest draws are the two bars and the 3 beers every service member is authorized per night. Leave it to the Army to have a foolproof, “scan-you-ID-in-every time” system to regulate this. Every service member tries to order that 4th brew just to verify the integrity of the system – unfortunately…the system works! They even had a Karaoke Night, and one of my buddies shot an incriminating video of me (and dozen other soldiers that I must have called out to join me) trying to sing Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler”. Also while on base, I attended a chapel service, watched a movie, got a massage, participated in a 100M MWR swim meet, and got stuffed at Chili’s…twice!When I got back from R&R, the work was piled up and the inbox was full, but I did feel refreshed and ready to get back into the work routine. LTC Vann, MAJ Lightner, and I started meeting on Wednesday nights for a Men’s Bible study which has been a great mid-week encouragement. We are going through Disciplines of a Godly Man by Kent Hughes and have really been challenged by the chapters and strengthened by the fellowship. I pray that the Lord has been disciplining you like He has us, and that in that discipline we find the love and comfort of our Heavenly Father. This email, plus some pictures, can be found on Erin’s and my blog site at http://www.danielanderin2007.blogspot.com/. Take care and God bless.
Possessing Everything,
Daniel
“We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.” (2 Corinthians 6:3-10)
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